There was absolutely no way Ian Smith was suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. He was sure of it.
He was O.K. He was living with his girlfriend in a suburb of Nashville working three jobs — mowing lawns, delivering …
National
A Smoking Pillbox: Evidence that Sgt. Bales May Have Been on Lariam
New evidence has surfaced that Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales may have been on mefloquine during his March, 2012, rampage that killed 16 Afghan civilians.
I first wondered if Bales had been on the anti-malarial agent, also …
Owner’s Guide: How to Use Your Nuclear Weapons
Ever wonder how, where and when the U.S. might decide to unleash the big one?
Well, your days of wondering are over: the Pentagon has just released a revamped Report on the Nuclear Employment Strategy of the United States. …
About That Boom! in the Pentagon’s Civilian Workforce
What is most remarkable about the Pentagon’s massive growth in its civilian workforce is not that it expanded after 9/11, alongside the military’s much smaller increase. Rather, it has been the unchecked boost in Pentagon …
Women in Combat: A Mirror of Society?
While I strongly support the military’s decision to allow women to hold combat and special ops positions, I am concerned that the military thinks this will substantially cut back on sexual assaults by equalizing male and female …
Can Service Save Us?
It just might. By helping returning troops regain their sense of purpose, veterans’ groups are proving that public service is therapeutic
How the Iraq War Got Off on the Wrong Foot
It’s always fascinating to listen to an eyewitness to history recount what was happening when the rest of us were relying on press releases and government spin. That’s what makes the comments from a retired Army colonel about …
The Increasingly Inefficient Triad
A new Congressional Research Service report contains this interesting chart, which tracks the sharp reduction in the nation’s strategic nuclear warheads alongside the scant reduction in its strategic nuclear launchers.
The …
America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places
Selected by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, here are the landmarks considered most at risk based on their historical significance and the urgency of the threat against their survival.
The Military Aerospace Market: Sky’s No Longer the Limit
As the industry’s all-important Paris Air Show gets underway, the outlook for the defense sector appears like a UFO blip on a radar screen: something’s definitely there, but how much of a threat it poses is uncertain.
One …
Some Hope Amid the Calendar’s Grim Pages
June is PTSD Awareness Month.
May was Mental Health Awareness Month.
September will be Suicide Awareness Month. More public-service announcements about “seeking help is a sign of strength.”
Despite the monthly …
Women in Combat Marching Orders Issued
One thing the U.S. military can do is draft reports.
The Pentagon has released the services’ plans detailing how women are to be integrated into front-line combat units over the next couple of years.
The reports are from …
“No longer are the Afghan people reliant on coalition forces to provide security. Afghan soldiers and police are now protecting fellow Afghans.”
— U.S. Marine General Joseph Dunford Jr., declaring Tuesday that Afghan security forces are now in the lead across the entire nation.